Japan 2017

Here are some of the insights I had when I was travelling to Japan back in 2017.

Paying for the bus. 

If the bus does not require people to pay upfront, you just need to get the boarding ticket from where you board, and pay after you alight. Normally, the screen will show how much you’re supposed to pay. ( You can ask the bus driver, how much it is ) 

Tap in and out of mrt station 

Like in any of the train station across the world, one must tap in the IC card reader portion to enter, and tap out at the same reader to exit. 

When you have the all mighty Japan Rail pass, you have to go to the part where the train station staff will see your JR Pass ( usually on the rightmost part of the ticket gantry). You will just need to show them your pass. 

Buying suica card. 

Before anything else, you might switch the language menu to english. It’s easier to navigate around the ticket vending machine. 

Note, you can personalize your PAASMO card, there is a menu where you can personalize your card to suit your name. PAASMO can generally be used in Tokyo metropolitan area.

If you have an old suica card, you can actually still use it.

The airport limousine bus. 

One can only accommodate (max of 2 bags) in the trunk. The other extra bag, you have to carry on your back or sit beside with you. The bus seats have enough room for you and your carry on bag. ( unless you’re tall and need all the legroom that you can get) 

One must settle the timing a day before the intended sojourn. The hotel asked which room we were staying and what was the timing of the bus. Our flight was at 1745, but we took the 1220 bus. The bus stop is outside of the Shinjuku washington hotel (Main). Same floor as the where the bridge to the Annex building was located. 

As for leaving the hotel for the airport limousine bus, they will direct you to the main floor ( where people who took taxis are dropped off) and will ask you to queue. You should at least be there 20-30mins before the bus arrive. 

Shinjuku washington hotel

Basement floor level of the Main building is where the connection to the One day street ( underground connection is located) . Just follow the signs to get to Keio Shinjuku, Toei Shinjuku lines. ( But basically, it’s much faster if walk above ground. From Lumine 1 , head down straight, till you locate funny pointy buildings, and walk all the way till you hit Shinjuku Washington Hotel. Roughly 10 - 20mins walk ) 

I think best location of the hotel is at Hotel Sunroute Plaza ( also a destination of the airport limousine bus), at the same time, it’s near lumine 1 and 2 (opposite each other) . From sunroute plaza facing the exit, turn to the left and head to the main street, it should only be just 1 block). To the right side is the express bus station and up front is the JR shinjuku South Entrance. 

The rooms are tiny. 16 square meters. We had to have a schedule on who should go first to take out and arrange things. Good thing it worked out. 

Shinjuku Station 

The west exit of JR line is where Odakyu Railway is . It also houses Bic camera and the Keio Mall. 

JR West exit is where Kabukicho is. There’s a uniqlo and Don Quijote. ( There are far too many Uniqlo in town)

JR West Exit is also where the bus station alights people including Airport Limousine ( though there is an option for you to alight at the highway bus station itself) and tours.

JR South Entrance Exit : Kinokuniya, Takashimaya, Bicqlo 

Highway Express Bus is near Newoman Building, opposite JR Shinjuku South Exit ( Lumine 1 and My Lord) and where Lumine 2 is. 

Yokoso Japan Tours

Tours can be tough. They will just give you 1hr to sightsee. But we weren’t taken to any factory outlet store that you might waste your time off .Nor did we have any strawberry picking or nut picking to waste our time off too. 

The way to go to Gifu is tiring. Mostly , it’s sitting on the bus and having around 3 rest stops to reach Shirakawago proper. They will have the option for you to buy bento. I suggest to buy the bento when you go to Tateyama Alpine Route as there are not much time for you to buy the food there. Literally 500 yen small gyuudon awaits for you, if you still have time to eat. 

We were eating at the bus on our first day. The rest area got some bento meals for you to buy. 

Second day, not much rest area, so the food you can only eat and buy is at the station after Bijoudaira, Daikanbo.

At tateyama station, we begin our journey and took the Tateyama Cable Car. After which, we got transferred and rode their Highland Bus all the way to Bijoudaira ( This is where you can see the slope of the mountain) , after which an underground tunnel trolley bus that will take you to Midagahara and Tengudaira. We spend a couple of hours and have eaten at Daikanbo. At kurobedaira , we would take the ropeway to the highest peak.  

At each stop, only given an hour’s time to roam around except at Daikanbo, which was at least 2 hours. 

K Fuji’s Hostel ( near Lake Kawaguchiko) 

A few turns from the hostel is Stop #7 in the red line ( Near herb hall ) 

Although it claims to be 800m walk from the station, it’s still quite a distance from it esp carrying with luggages. 

I thought that I had booked the one with the private bathroom but instead we got the one without. But nonetheless, it was quite an experience to go in and bathe at the common shower. Must remember to bring everything you need in one go. 

Their Fuji Tour is not a popular tour that since it was only the 2 of us who were going for the tour, it was cancelled. Good thing we have the retro 2 day pass to kill our time ( but we were lost as to where we want to go ) My friend already went to Kawaguchiko last time ( she should have said so to avoid duplicates. We could have went for a day trip there instead. ) 

Gundam Cafe 

Surprisingly, the food that I ordered was quite delectable. I ordered roast beef and pasta. Of course, the pasta, i could have done a better version of it and it tasted very plain. The coffee was just alright. Nothing special about it except that they have an art latte of a character from Gundam Wing. It just so happens that there was a Gundam Wing Special. We could not help but buy food from that selection. 

You can mix and match food from non-GUndam wing special and the food from their normal menu. We were supposed to get some pizza but i was too mesmerized by the petit glass that I just had to buy a meal from the Gundam wing special + petit glass set. The glasses were random. I did not get my favorite character but was quite satisfied by it. 

Nakano Broadway

I never thought we could have spend an entire day there. Well technically we were there from 11am till 5ish. It was only because it rained the whole day that we were too lazy to go out elsewhere. 

Nakano Broadway has some of the vintage toys and a lot of Tokyo Disneyland memorabilia. I didnt see much of SH Figuarts nor nendroids, but I saw a lot of Crane King toys. From which i thought it was a good deal buying from one of the stores ( 2d floor). There’s nothing much on the top floor. 3d floor and 2d floor are your best bets for figurines. Daiso is on the basement ( small one) and the ice cream with a lot of layers was there too. 

Tokyo Disneyland 

We thought that there was only 1 platform 3 at the station, we forgot to check about the line. And it just so happens that they have the same timing! Pfft! Anyway, it’s really a far walk from the JR station to JR Keihin Line (Even further than Yaesu Exit). The central exit only takes you to the exit at the Tokyo station ( red building). The Yaesu Exit is where the character street was and the shinkansen line. 

Gut tells that if there are no excited children, it must be the wrong platform. So we scoured again to find the correct line. 

Once we reach the station, it was just about of a walking distance to it. There are signs everywhere so one cannot be lost. 

The ticket, we had it printed out and scanned at the gate. No need to show identification. There was a security check before entering the premises ( Everything was hidden away, my bottle and my snacks). No snacks were allowed in Legoland (MY), but seemingly, it was ok here. There are a few water fountain ( by Thunder Mountain and Winnie the Pooh area), so you can just fill up your water bottle. 

Shinjuku station 

Small exit between Keio line and JR line. Eyes should be peeled. It was a small roundabout, make a left at the turnstile between Keio and JR. 

Things to note: 

Buying at Tokyo Station

• Buy cosmetics in one go, do not buy it one at a time. List down all the things you need to buy. ( Although this time around, i thought that i would just be buying canmake press powder) 

• Medicine (drugs) and cosmetics can go together as consumable goods. 

• Best to buy together with friends ( if possible ) 

• For food tokyo station has a tax free counter, you can buy all the food you need there (unless it’s a specialty of a region) : Sugar butter sand tree ( got an outlet in Daimaru) 

• Go to Yaesu Exit ( where the shinkansen are) for the Tokyo Character Street, tokyo ramen street ( Located at the basement) and Daimaru. 

• The tax free counter location, you should go to where Pokemon Center/Character cosmetic store ( Another indication is the long gashapon corner), climb up the stairs and follow the sign. 

• Sundrug cosmetic chain has more selection and opens till late 10PM. 

• Most of the shopping malls open at 11AM, Big shopping center like Bic Camera opens at 10AM. Labi opens at 10.30AM 

Scout Tokyo Station Character Street, best to buy stuff at Shibuya - Loft and Kiddyland. 

Ikebukuro

Gift gate at ikebukuro is also a good spot to buy. Nevermind going to Ikebukuro Otome road, as this has slowly been changing as an Idol Road. If you’re not into Idols, better go to Akihabara. 

Ikebukuro still have the best things: 

• G.U. (opposite of Exit 35) & Uniqlo . Exit 35 is to Sunshine City ( Follow the directions to it ) 

• Gift Gate 

• Sun drug ( Though i realized there’s sundrug near west exit of Shinjuku) 

• Tokyu Hands ( Go to level 3 - cosmetic, level 5 - stationery, level 1 - event related stuff) 

• I got stuck for half a day in these stores. 1h at G.U ( basement were tax free counter is , 1-2 flr for women, 3 for men) . 

Lashingbang near Animate ( a few floors) must be visited before 7 or 6PM. This shop closes early. 

Animate is open till 10PM. 

Cross the street after Sunshine City, is otome road. Can only find K-books and Lashingbang but all are idol-centric goods. 

Akihabara 

• Best things are in Electric Town Exit 

• Gundam Cafe is at the Electric Town Exit. 

• Opposite of Electric Town is where Yodobashi and AKB Washington Hotel is. 

Delta Airlines 

I’m not that tall enough to complain for the space allotted, for me, the seats are just quite right. Comfort is subjective. You can bring your own neck pillow to make it more comfortable. They will only provide you with 1 small pillow and a blanket. They will distribute the earphones but leave eye masks and ear plug ( things you will definitely need over a long haul flight ) 

I am not the fussy passenger, as long as I got ample space and my earphones, I will mind my own business. 

A small anecdote. From the time we disembarked from the plane, and we worked our way to the immigration, I noticed that the pedometer was missing from its location. We searched high and low for it, yet we couldn’t find it. I switched my phone’s bluetooth in hopes that I can find it, and the counter was still counting ( meaning it could be in 30m radius). It took us 30 minutes to figure out that the pedometer might have been dropped in one of my bags, I was carrying 2 at that time ( which was true). So, we head off to immigration, to our horror, there was a snake-like queue. So we had to wait for another 45 minutes in the queue.  At this point, our luggages was long gone from the conveyor belt and we had head over to Delta counter to claim them. We saw that our luggages were neatly placed in the trolley. ( So we do not need to pick the bags for ourselves, lucky us) We just showed them the tags and off we go.